The game's developer, Rockstar, plans to release seven DLC (downloadable content) packs over the course of 2012. Gamers can either purchase these individually or through Rockstar's DLC Pass, which costs $29.99, or half the price of the full game. The pass gives you access to all DLC released in 2012.

The Grand Theft Auto developer has laid out a fairly detailed release schedule, with the first DLC pack coming this June:

June 2012

Local Justice Map Pack

Summer 2012

Disorganized Crime Map Pack

Deathmatch Made In Heaven Mode Pack

Hostage Negotiation Map Pack

New York Minute Co-Op Pack

Fall 2012

Painful Memories Map Pack

Trickle Down Economics Map Pack

The question many gamers have is pretty straightforward:

Will there be $60 worth of gaming packed into Max Payne 3? And will Rockstar squeeze half a game's content into its seven DLCs?

The rise of the $90 game either means gamers are getting more gaming out of each release or simply spending a lot more on each release, whether or not they purchase the DLC. It's pretty hard to parse out the cost-to-value ratio with something like a game.

Some upcoming title's like Dragon's Dogma promise upwards of 300 hours of gameplay, not including any possible future DLC.

Other titles, such as Skyrim, are planning DLC releases later this year. Given the sheer scope and size of an Elder Scrolls title, however, it's almost certain that the DLC will add value and not just cost. For shorter titles, and especially for titles that release with either day-one DLC or with DLC already planned and scheduled, the question becomes murkier.

Now, it may be that Max Payne 3 is an excellent title that's worth every penny. I've been a fan of Rockstar games for a long time, and I have no reason to suspect anything but a great game out of Max Payne 3. Maybe the DLC will be worth every penny, too.